Under-the-Radar Boxers Who Should Fight on Network Television
In a hard-nosed sport like boxing, it's not unusual to see cynicism reign supreme. But a case of optimism has broken out among many writers and fans in 2015.
The fight we've waited a half-decade for, Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao, has finally been made. And perhaps even more importantly, after a generation on the margin, boxing has returned to network television.
Like anybody who writes regularly about boxing, I've sometimes criticized powerbroker Al Haymon. But by bringing the sport back to network television with his Premium Boxing Championship series, Haymon is clearly advancing the sport in an important way.
Boxing has traditionally flourished on broadcast television. As a child in the sport's last golden age, the 1980s, I watched such all-time greats as Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Larry Holmes on free television. For younger fans, who view high-level boxing as being synonymous with premium cable, this is a situation that is tough to imagine.
For boxing to truly return to the status it deserves, it needs to succeed on network television. That's where the casual fans and the merely curious get hooked for life.
Since the PBC is a Haymon production, I've included on this list only fighters whom he manages.
10. Rau'shee Warren
1 of 10
Rau'shee Warren, like so many top talents, took up boxing as a small child. The Cincinnati native was only eight years old when he won his first fight.
As a three-time Olympian, he is among the most decorated American amateurs of this century. He qualified for his first games, in 2004, at just 17.
He turned pro following the 2012 Olympics and is currently 13-0, advancing in his level of competition at a respectable rate. He's a quick, busy fighter, but he does lack dangerous power. Only four of his 13 wins have come by stoppage.
Warren's Olympic pedigree already gives him some name recognition. He does't really strike me as a potential star, but I could easily see him as one participant in an entertaining undercard bout.
9. Dominic Wade
2 of 10
Dominic Wade was an outstanding amateur who turned professional at age 19. He won 11 fights in his first two years as a pro before taking a break of nearly two years.
But he signed with Al Haymon in 2013 and has been active ever since. Wade is trained by Barry Hunter, who also handles Lamont and Anthony Peterson. Coming up through a winning tradition can be a valuable intangible for a young fighter.
Wade's talent is obvious, though he is still far outside of the top 20 at middleweight and therefore not yet ready for prime time. His best win is a one-sided decision over Nick Brinson.
Brinson is not a very well-known fighter, but he's a solid one. He's a rugged, experienced, borderline contender, and Wade's performance against him showed a lot of potential.
8. Gerald Washington
3 of 10As boxing has raised its profile over the past year, so has the heavyweight division. This is probably not mere coincidence. Heavyweight has always been the glamour division of the sport, and a true return to glory for the Sweet Science is going to require a compelling group of big men.
I don't view Gerald Washington as anything like a potential champion at heavyweight, but he could be the sort of imposing slugger who helps prop up the division. The 6'6" Washington is a natural athlete. After serving a hitch in the Navy, he became a junior college All-American in football despite having barely played in high school.
After finishing his college career at USC, Washington spent some time on NFL practice squads before turning to boxing. At 32, he's far too old to view as an exciting prospect.
But he is a big, athletic heavyweight who could factor in a television-friendly fight.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
7. Marcus Browne
4 of 10
Light heavyweight has emerged as one of the most exciting divisions in boxing. And Marcus Browne is on the cusp of putting himself in the conversation at 175 pounds.
The Staten Island native was a 2012 Olympian and is 13-0 with 10 KOs so far as a professional. He's blown through experienced trial horses like Kevin Engel, Otis Griffin and George Blades. A fighter with his pedigree should be blowing through that kind of competition, but it's still an important step in his development.
Browne is scheduled to next fight on April 11 against Aaron Pryor Jr. That's a minor step up in competition, although Pryor is still an opponent whom he should handle with ease if Browne truly a legitimate contender.
But the fact that the fight is happening on the undercard for Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson's network televised fight indicates that Haymon is positioning Browne for a future slot on television.
6. Artur Szpilka
5 of 10
Artur Szpilka is not completely under the radar, especially for fans who pay close attention to the heavyweight division. In 2013, Szpilka took part in two of the most entertaining heavyweight clashes of the past decade, twice knocking out the tough Mike Mollo.
Szpilka was stopped by Bryant Jennings in January 2014 for his first professional loss. But he came back strong at the end of the year to decision two-division world champion and longtime heavyweight contender Tomasz Adamek.
That win shows that Szpilka remains firmly on the bubble of the top 10 of heavyweight. He's an exciting fighter and would make for a great heavyweight clash on network television.
5. Dominic Breazeale
6 of 10
Dominic Breazeale played quarterback for the University of Northern Colorado. The 6'7" athlete transitioned to boxing at Michael King's Rock Boxing Center, an institution that the former television executive specifically established to help former football players become heavyweight stars.
Despite his late start in boxing, Breazeale has shown promise. He represented the United States in the 2012 Olympics and has looked even more impressive as a pro prospect than he did as an amateur.
So far, he's 14-0 with 13 knockouts. He's beaten solid journeymen such as Victor Bisbal, Nagy Aguilera and Devin Vargas.
As Seth Mitchell's career recently demonstrated, the transition from college football star to legitimate heavyweight contender is far from easy. But Breazeale is an athletic giant who can punch. Fans will always watch somebody of that description on television.
4. Edwin Rodriguez
7 of 10
Edwin Rodriguez did have one turn in the spotlight in November 2013, when he faced off with pound-for-pound star Andre Ward. It was the last time that Rodriguez even attempted to make the super middleweight limit of 168 pounds. And to be frank, he didn't really try very hard to make weight against Ward, paying a penalty to come in at 170 pounds.
Ward beat Rodriguez with ease, but the fight was a rough, grinding affair. Rodriguez is a rugged, physically imposing athlete.
The light heavyweight limit of 175 pounds is a much better fit for a fighter with Rodriguez's length and physique. And "La Bomba" is an exciting puncher who deserves another chance for a big-time fight.
With the level of competition at light heavyweight right now, Rodriguez is a long shot to collect a belt. But if he can get the right fights, I think he's a top-10 talent in that division.
3. Koki Kameda
8 of 10
Whether or not Koki Kameda is under the radar is entirely a matter of perspective. The WBA bantamweight champion is one of the most popular boxers in Asia.
Kameda has lost only once in his career, to legendary Thai flyweight champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, when Kameda was still only in his early 20s and when Wonjongkam was still a pound-for-pound star.
Kameda's last fight was in the United States. His sensational younger brother, Tomoki, has long been based out of North America. Each brother has a relationship with Haymon and could be presented with great fanfare to American boxing fans.
2. Errol Spence
9 of 10
It's quite likely that Errol Spence will be fighting on Haymon's PBC series before the end of this year. He was featured in a fighter profile piece between rounds during the April 4 Adonis Stevenson-Sakio Bika clash on CBS.
Of all the fighters from the United States' 2012 Olympic team, Spence is the best bet to become a big-time professional star. He's got excellent length and uses it to generate dangerous punching power. To date, he's 15-0 with 12 KOs.
Spence is fighting Samuel Vargas on the undercard of the Danny Garcia-Lamont Peterson fight, which will be broadcast on NBC this Saturday night. There's a strong chance that the producers will replay at least a few rounds of Spence's fight to fill broadcast time.
1. Tomoki Kameda
10 of 10
Tomoki Kameda is the youngest of Japan's three Kameda brothers. One of his nicknames is "Kameda-ke Saishu Heiki," or "The Ultimate Weapon of the Kamedas." Kameda is the undefeated WBO bantamweight champion, and at just 23, he looks like he could be one of the sport's next international stars.
Since his amateur days, Kameda has spent much of his training time in Mexico and has already built up a strong fanbase in that boxing-crazy culture. A second nickname that he has earned is "El Mexicanito," or "The Little Mexican."
Kameda is already scheduled to fight on CBS on May 9, when he faces WBA champion Jamie McDonnell in a unification bout as the co-main event with Omar Figueroa vs. Ricky Burns. Kameda is an exciting, action fighter who could become a banner carrier for the sport.
Follow Briggs Seekins on Twitter at @Briggsfighttalk and check out his blog, Pioneers of Boxing, to read about the early, bare-knuckle days of the sport.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
